Eternal Knight
by Shania Nowhere
Summary: Eileen enters into her Third - technically Sixth - year at Hogwarts during one of the most exciting events of history: The Tri-Wizard Tournament! But drama and dangers stir in the background, of course, will Eileen make it out of this year of school alive?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or the stories, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her pet kneazle Mephistopheles! I also own Lucas, Page, and Roderick Beowulf, Cheryl Applegate, Winnifred Miller, and any other random characters that appear in the story that were not originally in the Harry Potter series, since it's no fun if I don't have my own characters to play with. Enjoy!

**Eternal Knight**

By: Rachel Hajducko

Chapter One

The night air was warm against her pale cheeks, swirling lazily about her robes between the trees she hid in. It was dark in the woods but she lit her wand to see by, carefully creeping through the trees toward the encampment she knew lay on the other side in the clearing. She had not planned to attend the Quidditch World Cup but got the idea to surprise Fred and George for the celebrations, apparating into the woods to avoid being caught by a member of the Ministry of Magic. Eileen didn't fancy being hit with a rather large fine for practicing underage magic, nor did she desire a long talking to from her godfather over being caught. She preferred to keep her entry quiet but as she broke the treeline discovered that she was not arriving on such happy terms.

The scene was panicked chaos. Fires burned everywhere: in paths, on tents, on a few people who desperately fell to the ground in hopes of putting themselves out. The fires raged on, unhindered. Magic fire. Screams of terror filled the night, along with muffled cries of what she determined were cast spells as colorful explosions and darts flew in every direction. Most innocents made for the woods, seeking the shelter of the darkness to hide from the uproar and avoid being struck down. She stood still, in shock by the scene before her. What was happening? Had a brawl broken out and gone seriously awry? It didn't feel like a drunken fight, it felt terrifying. Terror, she thought, caused by people who were masters of it.

Shaking her head, she looked about wildly in hopes of spotting one of her friends running for cover. But the campsite was fairly emptied out by the time she had arrived, save for the flashes of light and shadows of wizards and witches dueling amongst the chaos and flames. Flashes of green light and screams of agony told her that dark magic was being used, causing a shiver to run up her spine. The Death Eaters were here, but why? She didn't dwell on the thought long before being spotted by a hooded figure at the far edge of the encampment. It raised its wand, shouting a command that sent a blast of green light in her direction. Blocking it instinctively, she turned and fled into the trees.

Her head swam with thoughts, terrified pondering and instinctual drive to run for cover, directing her to seek the deepest parts of the woods that may provide enough shelter from the battle to ride it out. She turned many corners, ducking under branches and tripping over roots and rocks as she fought to escape the maniacal laughter and flashes of light she could feel trailing behind her. She leaped over a rock, twisting to avoid a ditch she only saw when it was too late to pull back. Tumbling, she landed at the bottom of a small hill, letting out a small groan as she struggled to pull herself back up to her feet.

Suddenly an arm was hooked under hers, jerking her to her feet in one quick swoop. She yelped, moving to strike her attacker, panic in her every movement.

"Stay your wand!" A gruff hiss ordered her, the voice familiar. "Do you want us both to die?"

"Severus?" She gasped.

But there was no time for questions as he took her hand and ran deeper into the darkness with her. They ran for what felt like forever, her legs beginning to burn with the effort her body put forth to keep up with the hooded figure who was at least a head and shoulders taller than her. Soon they arrived at a small creak and came to a stop, panting for air and shaking from the rush of adrenaline.

"This way." The figure pulled her toward a path of stones and darted across them, crossing the stream easily and waiting on the other side for her to catch up to him. She barely landed at his side before his hand wrapped firmly around hers again and off they went. After further sprints and dodges, they were far enough away from the mayhem that it was a distant cry in the dark that barely registered against the wind.

The pair ended their journey finally at a small cluster of trees. Eileen fell against one of the trees gasping before collapsing to the ground. She stared down at the crisp bed of leaves, collecting herself before looking up at the man beside her. He was staring at a hole in the treeline, a greenish glow showing through. She could barely make out a few curves of a pattern decorating the sky when she heard him swear.

"We need to leave this place. Can you apparate?" He turned his attention back to her. "Nevermind, I will take us both."

Before she could say another word, she was wrapped in a cloak in a warm embrace before feeling herself pulled through a whirl of another's apparation. A moment later everything had gone quiet. The deafening silence was soon lulled into the gentle crackle of a fire. The darkness lifted, revealing the dimly lit study she knew from earlier that summer.

The figure walked away from her for a moment, hurrying to find parchment and ink, furtively scrawling out a message. She watched him in disbelief, her mind so lost in all the questions she had she couldn't force any words out of her mouth from the mental traffic jam. As quickly as he scribbled his letter, he rolled it up and took it swiftly to the fireplace. With a swipe, he scooped powder from a bowl on the mantle and tossed it into the flames. Green pillars of fire erupted before him, easing down into a dull roar as he crouched in front of the flames and bent over it. He spoke for a moment before tossing the letter into the flames. Another moment later the flames smouldered back down to the soft crackle of warmth they had been before.

Rising, the man removed his cloak, revealing his midnight garments and raven hair that shone against the fire. Hanging the cloak, he turned on Eileen and stalked over to her, taking a moment to crouch at her side. "What were you doing there? You said you were going home to check on Mephistopheles! You were supposed to go straight home!"

"I did! And then Fred sent me a letter about the Quidditch game and...I just wanted to surprise him!" She stammered, her heart still working to come down from the excitement. "What were you doing there? You told me that you had to cut our visit short for business!"

"That's not important," He grumbled, shifting and getting to his feet to pace across the room. "Did anyone see you there?"

"See me? What do you - "

"See you, yes! Did anyone see you at the campsite!" Severus demanded as he furiously paced in a rut that had already been partially worn in the wood floor.

"I don't know, maybe!" She hesitated, remembering the attacker at the camp.

Severus halted in his stride, staring at her wildly. "They did. Who was it? Who saw you!"

"I don't know!" Eileen hugged herself. "I couldn't see them, they were too far away! They just...they tried to attack me..."

"What?" He hurried back to her, kneeling once more and checking her for injuries. "Were you hurt? What did they hit you with?"

"Nothing! I mean, they missed, I ran away. Severus, what is going ON!" She pushed his hands away, staring up into his black eyes with her own disturbingly blue gaze.

He flinched at her gaze, looking away. "You shouldn't have been there. It was dangerous!" He moved to get up again but was caught by her tiny grip.

"People were being hurt out there, why? Was it them? Was it the Death - "

He hurriedly covered her mouth, shushing her. "Don't speak of them!"

Pulling his hand away, she glared at him angrily. "Why were you there? Were you fighting WITH them?"

"Of course not!" He protested angrily. "I told you I'm not - "

"YOU said once a Knight, always a Knight!" She shot back, interrupting his denials.

He hesitated before shaking his head. "I said that, yes. But I wasn't there for them!"

"Then why were you there?" She didn't want to believe he could hurt people the way the others were, torture innocent witches and wizards while laughing.

"I...I can't tell you." He hissed before gripping her arms. "I wasn't fighting with them, please just believe my words! I promise you!"

She felt her eyes welling up with tears as she felt her heart change from a race to a tight anxiety. She hung her head. "Fred and George...are they...?"

He hesitated. "I don't think so...many of them ran for the woods. Only the ministry and some adults stayed to fight. There were no children left in the camp."

"I need to know." She sobbed. "What if they were hurt? Oh what is going on, Severus? Please tell me!"

"It's...complicated." Snape sighed, standing and helping her up. "Come sit down."

She allowed him to guide her to his chair as he sat her down and draped a blanket over her shoulders. "They were them, weren't they? What was in the sky?"

"It was..." he didn't seem to want to admit it. "It was a Dark Mark."

"Dark Mark? You mean..." Her eyes widened, gazing up at him.

He nodded and strode away, resuming his pacing. "I can't believe those fools did that! They could have been caught. And to put that in the sky! They've gone insane!"

They fell silent for a while before Eileen quietly spoke up. "Why were you so afraid they might see me?"

"You know why, Eileen," He said as if it pained him to admit it, gripping the edge of the mantle in one hand. "You're powerful. They want to use you for their own cause."

"You mean as their new leader," She spat. "To replace Voldemort!"

"Don't say his name!" Snape hissed. "I told you I wouldn't let that happen!"

"Were they looking for me at the camp?" Her tone became worried as she clutched at the blanket. "Do you think they were there for me? To get me to reveal myself?"

"No," Snape paced, chewing on his thumbnail. "No, I don't think so. They were just drunk. Having a bit of fun."

"What was fun about any of that!" Eileen gawked. "People were dying out there!"

"I don't mean - " Severus sighed. "Those people - " He shook his head. "I'll need to go soon. Can I trust you to go home and stay there?"

"You're leaving me?" A sudden fear gripped her. "But...I just got here!"

"I had to get you somewhere safe. Now I need to go find out more about what that was all about. He needs me." Severus muttered, going to gather a few things.

"He?" She thought about it. "Dumbledore...you told him what happened."

"Will you please stay put this time? I don't want to have to send someone to watch you." Snape growled, giving her a meaningful look.

"No," She shrank down in the chair. "I mean, I'll stay home."

"Swear it!"

"I swear!" She looked away. "I do!"

He paused, watching her intently before setting aside his pile and walking to her. He knelt in front of the chair, hesitating before gently grasping her shoulders in his hands. "Eileen, I don't want you to get hurt. I definitely don't want them to get their hands on you."

"Could I really be their Dark Lord?" She muttered, gazing off to the side at a dark arts book stacked precariously beside the chair. "Could I replace him?"

"What? Don't say such things," Severus scowled, but his frown had more concern in it than disgust at the idea. "I won't let that happen. I would die before I let them corrupt you like that."

"I'm not exactly a white snowflake, Severus," She looked back into his eyes. "I've hurt people, people I cared for. I've hurt you; I almost killed you."

He shrugged. "I've been through worse. You're not a killer, Eileen. You're strong and have a good heart. You even have good friends, even if I don't approve of them. Don't follow in my footsteps..."

"Severus..." Gently she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. "I don't want to let you down."

"You won't." He reluctantly pulled away after a moment and went back to his gathering. "I'll take you back home to ensure it's safe before I leave you. Are you sure I don't need to have someone come stay with you for the night?"

"Anyone coming after me would be hard-pressed to leave in one piece," Eileen sighed, feeling the hatred in her heart for the dark witches and wizards who desired her power.

He smiled. "That's my girl." He finished packing a satchel and retrieved his cloak which had barely warmed against the fire in his cold dwelling. "Let's go, we shouldn't stay here too long."

Rising on shaky legs, she joined him by the fire and took his hand. He barely glanced down at her as he disapparated, arriving inside her small and nearly empty apartment.

A yowl came from the window as a lanky cat dismounted the sill and tottered over to his mistress, stretching on the way. He rubbed against both humans before sitting, staring up at them with his gleaming feline eyes.

"I'm back, Mephi," Eileen sighed, watching Snape light his wand tip and investigate the apartment.

After several minutes of thorough searching he returned to her side, satisfied that the room was safe. "I will return to check on you before school starts. Write to me if anything happens or if anyone approaches you on the streets."

"I will," She sighed. "Severus?"

"Yes?" He glanced down at her.

"Be careful."

Severus reached up to brush a hair behind her ear, an odd display of affection for the anti-social hermit. "You as well, Eileen."

She looked up, a little surprised, before he disapparated. Alone again in the silence of her apartment, she slunk over to her bed and collapsed into it. Joined by Mephistopheles, she spent the remainder of the night pretending to sleep, unable to find peace enough to quiet her fears and dread of the dangers to come that school year...and perhaps for years to come.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The following week was one big anxious waiting experience for Eileen, first sending letters to Fred regarding the attack to ensure everyone was safe and heaving a sigh of relief when all were accounted for. She also got an inside scoop of Fred and George's plans for their super top secret experiments and plans for the future, including their recent acquirement of funds for said projects. She also received word from her friend Cheryl concerned for the news that eventually made its way across the pond to New York where her family was concerned for her safety in attending that year of Hogwarts. She reassured her it was an isolated incident, just a drunken frenzy, but she wasn't so sure it was as minor as she made it out to be for her friend's sake. She hadn't even learned much more about it from Severus when he checked in on her, other than it was being investigated.

Finally it was time to board the train to Hogwarts. She boarded the train and managed to find a free compartment, settling her belongings in the top storage before curling up with a book to pass the time. Before she had gotten too far into her studies, a pair of shadows loomed over the sliding door before it was flung open, revealing to rather cross looking redheaded boys who bustled in with their luggage, gabbing while stowing it in overhead compartments.

"What do you think is going on that Charlie has to be there?" George commented, flopping in the seat opposite Eileen and propping his feet up on the bench.

"I don't know, but we'll find out," Fred sounded determined as he settled next to Eileen after shooing the cat from his seat to make room. "Do you know what's going on at Hogwarts this year, Dove?"

"At Hogwarts?" She looked up in confusion. "Is something happening?"

"That's what we'd like to know!" He tossed his hands up in frustration. "We figured you might have some Intel, what with your godfather working there and all."

She shut her book and turned her attention to them, shaking her head. "No, I've been busy traveling most of the summer, I haven't really seen him much." Which was a lie, but she didn't think it would sound good trying to explain to them something she didn't know the answer to herself: why was Snape skulking around the woods during the battle? She hadn't even mentioned that she was there either, it seemed easier than trying to figure out a lie of how she got out of it unscathed. "What's this about Charlie?"

"Our older brother," George interjected. "He works with dragons in Romania. He was in town for the Quidditch Cup, said something about visiting Hogwarts this year but wouldn't say why."

"Dragons? Does Hogwarts even have any dragons?" Eileen's eyes widened.

"Hagrid had one the year before you started attending, but Charlie took it with him to Romania. "Fred mused. "I reckon that was the only one on school grounds as far as I know."

She looked interested. "That Hagrid sure keeps interesting company. A dragon! Do you suppose he found any others?"

"I hope so!" George grinned. "How fantastic would that be? We could have a pet dragon! And ride it around the school yard!"

"I'm pretty sure that's a safety hazard, Mayhem," Eileen referred to George by his secret penpal codename.

"You're no fun!" He laughed. "We could teach it to shoot fireballs at the Slytherins whenever it saw their House colors!"

"Or bite them in the arse!" Fred roared.

"You two. You know I used to be a Slytherin," She shook her head.

"Right, but now you're one of the good guys!" Fred hooked his arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze. "You're an exception!"

"Am I?" Eileen muttered, looking at the book in her lap. She was reading about the Dark Arts again.

Fred tilted his head curiously, trying to determine the mood change. "Unless Dumbledore changed his mind about moving you to Ravenclaw? It wasn't temporary, was it?"

"I haven't been told otherwise, I would imagine they would inform me if something had changed," She turned her gaze to the window. "I guess...this summer has been very strange."

George glanced at Fred who was watching Eileen closely, and perhaps sitting a little too close. "Yeah it has been." He tossed a candy at Fred to get his attention.

Fred got the message and scooted back a little bit, removing his arm. "You didn't have fun visiting your friends? Blimey, I've always wanted to go to the United States! It sounded like a blast!"

"It was fun seeing the city," She forced a smile. "And seeing Lucas' family in Scotland. I daresay their family was bigger than yours."

"Bigger than the Weasleys? Not possible!" Fred laughed. "We're like rabbits, tons of us everywhere!"

She smiled. "To the dismay of the wizarding world."

"Oye!" Fred playfully ruffled her hair. "They're just jealous that they aren't one of us redheaded stepchildren!"

"I know I am." She joked back, but in all honesty she did wish she were a part of such a loving family. It's something she found she greatly desired someday.

The rest of their ride was full of joking and laughter, never a dull moment with the Weasley twins around. Finally they pulled into the station in Hogsmeade, being greeted by a torrential downpour that brought down everyone's moods.

"What ruddy miserable weather," Fred grumbled, staring out the window at the scenery that was barely visible through the sheets of rain.

"I wish we could apparate," George huffed. "Then we wouldn't have to get wet."

"You just need to know a repelling charm," Eileen smiled. "Or maybe pay attention more in class." She pulled her wand out, pointing it at herself. "_Impervius_." A shimmer came over her before dissipating. With that she got up and, after casting it on Mephistopheles, they departed the train and trotted off toward the carriages. Other than having to shield her eyes from the onslaught of rain, the droplets rolled off her as if bouncing off a shield.

Fred sighed. "That's one amazing witch," He watched her go with a grin on his face.

George sighed too, before shoving his brother off the train and into the downpour. "You need to cool off."

They ran to catch up to her, swarming amongst the other students as they all hurried to get into the carriages and up to the school building. Once inside, a new lake was formed in the foyer as children rung out their garments and slipped around in puddles made by their dorm mates. Excited chattering could be heard everywhere as the crowd made its way upstairs and toward the great hall for introductions and opening speeches. Splashes of water rained from above, courtesy of Peeves who took it upon himself to continue the weather indoors and soak any who thought to escape getting wet.

Eileen managed to dodge most of the attempts to soak her before diving into the Great Hall with the others, safely trudging to the Ravenclaw table and settling next to a familiar brunette girl who beamed when she sat down.

"Hey there, Eileen!" The girl gave her a big hug. "How was the rest of your summer?"

"It was good, thanks, Cheryl," She smiled back, still not used to the informal greetings of American culture. "I trust yours was good as well?"

"As good as it could be," Cheryl laughed, but Eileen knew it had been a rough summer for her. After their bonding session over the losses of their mothers, Cheryl had done some soul searching and talked about it with her father. She decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and pursue a career in Charms, either teaching it or some position in the Ministry of Magic. She thought it was what her mother would have wanted, having expressed her plans in a few written correspondence to Eileen over the summer.

The group caught up on their summer adventures while they awaited the 1st years and their coronation into Hogwarts. Switching to whispered conversation during the Sorting ceremony, they talked through into the serving of the dinner banquet.

"And then Roderick tossed me into the loch! Can you believe it?" Lucas regaled his friends of his own exciting break adventures, indignantly stabbing a potato before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Where is your brother? Wasn't he supposed to be here this year?" Eileen questioned. "It's his last year, right?"

"He wasn't able to get to the train today, father had some last minute business with him at the glen," Lucas replied, not sounding terribly put out that his brother was going to be late. "He'll be taking on more responsibility once he graduates."

"Wow! That's pretty intense," Cheryl whistled. "He plays for the Quidditch team, doesn't he? As a Bludger?"

"Yeah, he does," Lucas sighed, wishing he were as popular as his bother.

Eileen eyed him curiously before deciding she didn't want to pursue it further. She had heard enough about his jealousy of his brother, along with discovering that Roderick found it highly amusing to tease Lucas over his boyish crush on her by sweeping her off to random adventures through the Scottish countryside. She had enjoyed the adventures, but the amount of attention he had given her was a bit embarrassing, she hoped he would refrain from such displays during the school year.

Finally the sorting had completed and Dumbledore stood to address the group. He began speaking about the school year when there was a loud bang followed by a clap of thunder. Everyone turned to see a figure in the doorway, flashes of light revealing a fairly horrifying man - or they assumed he was a man - who journeyed swiftly to the head table to speak with Dumbledore before taking a seat to eat.

Eileen couldn't help staring at his eye that darted around in its socket, surveying the room intently before focusing on her for an extended period of time. It unnerved her, causing her to break into a cold sweat before she forcibly broke gaze with him. She stared shakily at her plate before she felt a pat on her shoulder and jumped.

"Are you okay?" Cheryl whispered, looking concerned. "You're sweating."

"That man..." She started to turn her head back toward him but caught Snape's gaze instead. He was giving the man a skeptical look over before glancing at her and frowning. She quickly looked away again. "It's nothing."

"He creeps me out too!" Cheryl hissed. "Something's not right about him..."

Soon enough Dumbledore introduced the man as Professor Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"No way! Definitely a creeper!" Cheryl gaped, getting what could only be described as a glare from the roaming blue eye in Moody's head, causing her to drop the subject.

Before long an announcement was made that caused interest, and then uproar as further details were revealed. The school was hosting a Tri-Wizard Tournament, the first in many years due to the dangers involved in the competition. Eileen heard the familiar uproar of her two mischievous counterparts at the news that only those 17 years old or older could compete due to the advanced skills required for the tournament, along with the news that Quidditch was canceled for the year to make time for the contests.

It seemed a lot was happening this year that was unfamiliar for the students, along with the news that two other European countries were coming to stay for the tournament. The students were soon adjourned to their respective dorms for the evening. Eileen tried to catch up to Fred and George to talk to them about the tournament but they had already hurried off to their dormitory in a storm of fury and plots.

Resigning herself to the Ravenclaw dorm, she settled into her room and barely bothered to unpack linens before flopping on her bed and passing out. It had been far too long of a day with far too many announcements, she was content to relax in her bed and at least fake sleep even if the other girls were all buzzing about the upcoming tournament. Unfortunately her best friend wasn't ready to allow her to doze off.

"I wish you were of age, Eileen!" Cheryl whined, pouncing on the bed.

Eileen moaned and rolled to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

"The Tournament, of course!" Cheryl flopped on her back next to Eileen, waving her hands in the air. "Can't you see it now? Eileen Pierce: Tournament Champion! You know enough magic to beat the pants off any of those losers out there!"

"I'm still only 13, Cheryl," Eileen sighed, shifting onto her back to make room for her friend on the bed.

She scoffed, "Minor details. Maybe you can cast some sort of aging potion to be older." Cheryl then frowned. "Nevermind, that redheaded dolt will get the hots for you."

"Fred? Don't be silly," Eileen sighed, resting her wrist against her forehead.

"Has he asked you out yet?"

"No, I mean," She shifted awkwardly, "We haven't really talked about that stuff since last school year."

"Why not? Is he still acting weird around you? I mean, it is a little weird for a 16 year old to crush on a 13 year old, but I guess it's a thing in the wizarding world," Cheryl made a face. "In America that's kind of frowned on."

"Is it? Because he's older than me?" This hadn't even occurred to Eileen, she always felt they were on the same wave length mentally. Physical growth wasn't even a thought to her, not that she had thought much about the whole situation over the summer.

Cheryl nodded. "But I don't know how weird it is here for that to happen. And it's less weird for a guy to be a couple years older than a girl, and I guess realistically it's just weird cause you guys are still both super young. If you were in your 20's it wouldn't be as strange, since he's only barely four years older than you."

"You've put a lot of thought into this," Eileen pointed out.

"Eh, I had a crush on a guy two years ago who was a senior. It didn't go so well," She admitted sheepishly. "But hey, maybe it'll work out for the two of you! You get along so well."

"We do..." Eileen trailed off before sighing and rubbing her face. "I still don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling or what any of it means."

"None of us really do, we just kind of go with it and make stuff up along the way," She smirked.

"It sounds really complicated," Eileen looked forlorn.

"It can be, especially if you started dating both of them."

"Cheryl!" Her outburst got the attention of some of the other sixth years who were minding their own business in the corner. Turning several shades of red, Eileen hissed, "Can we not talk about this here?"

"Alright alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well and try not to dream about him too much," Cheryl winked before fleeing to her own bed.

Eileen huffed and rolled back onto her side, curling up with her kneazle and mulling over the night's conversations. She wasn't sure she'd ever understand this romance thing, especially with how many rules it seemed to have. Maybe she was better off not knowing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next couple of days were average school days, at least average for Hogwarts. She heard the rumors about what happened to Draco shortly after school started, somewhat amused over the concept of him being a weasel. This made her a little wary of Alistair Moody, though, if he so freely served out corporal punishment on students in and out of the classroom. Snape didn't seem fond of Moody either as he seemed to avoid him like the plague. She knew he wasn't happy about being denied the DADA position again, she wasn't sure why since he would most likely excel at it.  
Time had finally rolled around for the first DADA class of the year. Rumors had been flying around about the contents of the class, apparently Professor Moody had taken a more direct approach to teaching actual dark arts instead of how to defend yourself against them. Eileen wasn't sure she wanted to be present for such classes but the idea of learning more about her enemy piqued her interest, so she attended.

Along with Cheryl, they took up seats near the rear of the class, eyeing the glass vials on the table at the front with spiders in them.

"What do you reckon those are for?" Cheryl whispered apprehensively. "Is he going to torture us with them?"

Eileen watched the spiders curiously, trying to think of the dark things they could learn with them. Then it dawned on her. "I think they're the subjects of today's class."

"Huh?" Cheryl looked confused.

"Quite right, Miss...?" A booming voice came from the rear of the class, startling the students who jumped, some squeaked.

"Pierce, Eileen," Eileen responded, not being one to jump but looking a little surprised.

"Pierce. You seem familiar with demonstrations then, which is what today's class is all about," Moody clunked his way to the front of class before snatching up an attendance list and going over it before beginning the class. "I'm supposed to teach you how to defend yourself against the dark arts, but counter curses won't do you a lick of good if you don't know what's coming."

Moody carried on, explaining his class in detail and further explaining the target of the current day's lesson: Forbidden Curses. The hair on the back of Eileen's neck prickled, she wondered if that was what she was almost hit with at the campsite by the hooded figure.

The class began asking questions and proposing curses to display, starting with the Imperius curse. The spider began doing grand displays on the table before back flipping back into the jar it came from. Eileen tilted her head, watching this demonstration with interest.

You can control people with magic, a voice deep down whispered. You can wish them to leave you alone, direct them to walk away from you. You can have people do your bidding...

Eileen blinked, where had that voice come from?

"Ah yes, the Cruciatus curse. This one was quite popular in the day with Death-Eaters," Moody prattled on, beginning to torture the spider on his desk.

You can do things like this, it looks so easy, the voice whispered again. They don't have to know you did it, you can use your magic without your wand. We can practice when no one's looking, get stronger.

She shook her head, unsure where these thoughts were coming from.

"This is sick," Cheryl gasped, her voice raspy. She was pale as she watched the torture occur.

Eileen looked over at her, worried this was too much for her friend. Then the final curse was announced, a hush went over the class as the teacher demonstrated it with cold accuracy. A rush of air and green burst later, the spider was stone dead on the table.

Yes...that truly is masterful work. Perfection.

Eileen gasped, getting up from her desk and fleeing the room.

"Miss Pierce! Return to your desk!" Moody's commands went unheard as the girl fled out of the class and down the stairs.

Darting though hallways and down toward the dungeons, she swiftly let herself into the potion storeroom and hid herself in a corner, shivering at the thoughts that she felt in class. They couldn't have been her own, could they? Was there really something so dark inside her?

A moment later, the door swung open sharply as a dark figure stood in the doorway and bellowed angrily, "Who's in here? Come out before I - " He spotted the huddled figure and hurriedly shut the door before going to her. "Eileen, what are you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to have class right now?"

"I can't, the thoughts," Eileen gasped, holding her head. "They were so dark!"

"Thoughts? Whose thoughts?" Snape frowned in concern.

"Mine! I mean...who else could have been thinking them?" Eileen looked up at him, her eyes wide. "We were learning about...Forbidden Curses...I thought they were so amazing...I wanted to..."

Severus scowled more, gripping her shoulders, "Eileen, are you sure they were your thoughts? You have been practicing your occlumency, haven't you?"

It didn't occur to her she may have been projecting someone else's thoughts in class, she had been watching the teacher closely. "I...yes, of course. Oh, do you think I was hearing someone else's thoughts?"

"It's possible..." Snape sighed, shifting and glancing back at the door. "Did anyone see you come here?"

"No, everyone's in class right now...I ran out," She admitted, rubbing her face. "It felt so intense, the hatred and...darkness."

"Yes, it can be," Snape ran his fingers through his lank hair. "You shouldn't have left class like that, you're liable to get detention for this."

"I know," Eileen leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. "I couldn't breathe."

He thought for a moment, coming up with an excuse, "Go to Madam Pomfrey, say you got ill in class. If you went to the hospital wing, he may be more lenient on you for leaving so abruptly."

She nodded and stood up shakily, "Do you think those thoughts were mine?"

"I don't know. Try not to think on it too heavily," Snape guided her toward the door. "And don't break into my store room again, the students will think it's easy and try to rob me blind."

"Sorry," Eileen muttered as she meandered back down the hall. "It was pretty easy."

Snape frowned after her as she disappeared down the hallway before looking back at his setup, grumbling and locking up again with a few added measures.

Eileen managed to get to the hospital wing unseen, hoping her cover would be sufficient to escape detention. Popping into the room, she made a beeline for a bed and plopped down, soon attended to by Madam Pomfrey who chastised Moody's motives of teaching upon hearing the cause of her ailment.

Later that day after class completed she was summoned to Professor Moody's office for a follow up. Mustering her defenses, she knocked on the professor's door and entered after being permitted.

"Miss Pierce, that was quite the display in class earlier," Moody remarked gruffly. "I got word from Madam Pomfrey that you became ill."

"Yes, I am sorry, the subject was rather intense, I was not prepared for it," Eileen sat down in a chair opposite his desk, calmly meeting his gaze and keeping her nerves cool.

"Did the subject have any family ties? I fear I'm not familiar much with your lineage," He watched her intently with both eyes, which was slightly unnerving but a challenge she willingly met.

"My mother was tortured and killed by Death-Eaters," She lied, keeping her tone even but not even enough that it was obvious she was being dishonest.

Moody watched her very closely, "I see, that's a real shame, Miss Pierce. I'm sorry for your loss, many a good witch and wizard fell pray to those dogs during the war."

She nodded, "It was hard to watch, I apologize for leaving class so abruptly. I understand if you wish to provide me with detention work."

"No," He said thoughtfully, "I can hardly blame you for that. There wasn't much more of the lesson to miss, but I would like you to write an essay on Forbidden Curses, their uses, and why they are forbidden."

She blinked vaguely, "Yes, of course, Professor. I greatly appreciate your leniency."

He waved her off with a grunt, "I have heard good things about you, Miss Pierce. You seem to know your stuff, I wouldn't consider you a slacker like some of the scum here."

She wasn't sure how to take his comment. "Thank you, sir."

"These classes won't get easier, are you going to run out of every class like that?" He huffed, narrowing his eyes a bit at her.

"No, sir, I won't let it happen again," She looked apologetic.

"Good, because the Death-Eaters won't let you run away. You need to remember that, only constant vigilance will ensure at least a chance of survival out there!" He pounded his fist on the desk.

"Do you think he is returning, sir?" She asked earnestly.

Moody scowled at her, almost hesitating to respond, "He? He who?"

"Voldemort, sir - "

"DON'T SPEAK HIS NAME!" Moody roared, standing at his desk abruptly. "DON'T YOU DARE!"

Eileen's eyes widened slightly, surprised by his outburst. He seemed like an unstable fellow, but his reaction was more...personal than she expected. "I apologize, sir."

Huffing again, he sat back down with a creak. "Well he's dead, ain't he? No chance he'll be coming back," He shifted in his chair, clearing his throat. "But those followers of his...they're always looking for an excuse to start another war, can't trust the lot of them."

"I see...of course," Something nagged at the back of Eileen's mind, causing her to stand and bow slightly, "I will remember your guidance and learn further about these curses. I promise to be vigilant night and day."

He nodded. "Good. Now off with you, you have further classes today, I assume?"

She nodded and excused herself before leaving the office. A great weight shed off of her like sticky rain as she descended the stairs back to the main hallway. What had she felt back there? Shaking her head, she headed to her next class of the day, her mind distracted by what she had seen in Moody's eyes.

The rest of the day was fairly quickly over with as she drifted off to dinner and then off to her free evening. She could not find the twins, stumbling upon their best friend Lee Jordan in her journeys. Approaching him on his way back to the dorm after dinner, she asked, "Have you seen the twins?"

"I think they went back to the dorm, they haven't been very social since the announcement," Lee sighed, slowing his pace to keep up with her.

"Are they planning something?" She frowned, knowing if they were up to something, he would probably know about it as well.

"Sort of," He whispered, "They think they can fool whoever the judge is, but since we don't know who that is yet, they seem to be working on something else."

"Ah," Eileen assumed it was related to the business. "Thank you, Lee."

"No problem. Hey," He looked around before speaking again, "Do you know any spells for making yourself older?"

Eileen shook her head, "None that I'm aware of, you might be out of luck if you're trying to cheat the system."

He snapped his fingers in frustration, "Blast. Thanks anyway, I'll have to keep hitting the books. See you later!" He jogged off down the hallway, waving goodbye before disappearing up a stairway.

"So that's what you guys are up to..." She mused before thinking about it and wondering if she could use an aging potion. It would make her look quite different, being older. She wondered if it would make her much taller.

Wandering toward the Ravenclaw dormitory, she passed pairs of boys and girls lingering in the halls and twittering amongst themselves. Girls giggling and playfully swatting the boys, boys leaning against walls and grinning, both leaning close to each other and staring into each other's eyes. Eileen wondered what it would feel like to be that way around Fred, to be so carefree and, dare she say, silly. She also noticed how the girls had curves to their uniforms, filling out their skirts and blouses, some more than others. She looked down at her own uniform, noting how thin and vertical her body was.

Sighing, she entered the dormitory and headed to her room, flopping on her bed.

"There you are!" Cheryl bounded up and pounced on the bed in a free space. "What happened in class this morning? Are you okay? They said you went to the hospital wing."

"I'm fine, I just got a little sick," Eileen mumbled into her sheets before rolling into a sitting position and slumping next to her friend. "Why don't I look like you?"

Cheryl quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head at her. "What? What do you mean?"

"These," Eileen sat up straight and pulled her blouse out in two tented points before letting it fall back in place. "Other girls have them, why don't I?"

Cheryl stared for a moment before snorting and laughing, "You mean boobs? You're only 13, you probably haven't blossomed yet."

"I'm not a flower," Eileen frowned, not sure what was so amusing about her predicament.

"No no, it's a saying. You go through puberty and some girls get bigger boobs and hips," Cheryl hopped up and outlined her figure in a statuesque pose, "Some don't."

"When did you get those?" Eileen watched her curiously.

"Hmm, I suppose it was about a year and a half ago that I really started growing into it. Dad didn't know what to do with me," She laughed. "Nothing funnier than taking your Dad to go shopping for bras."

Eileen wondered what Snape would do if she took him shopping for under garments. She imagined it wouldn't end well, or would result in her going alone and him standing outside the store. Or more likely her going shopping with Mrs. Weasley and having nothing to do with Snape as he refuses to acknowledge such an issue existing.

"Why do you ask?" Cheryl sat back down on the bed. "Did Fred say something to you?"

"No," Eileen sighed and fell back against the bed. "Just wondering."

"You worry too much. You're cute, I'm sure you'll grow up eventually!" With a bounce Cheryl pounced on Eileen. "Until then, DEFEND YOURSELF! HEYAH!"  
Eileen laughed and wrestled with Cheryl a bit before they crumpled to the floor in a giggling heap. Several of the Sixth year girls commented on their maturity before going back to their gossip. Still giggling, they bid each other a good night and went about their own business for the remainder of the evening. Out of curiosity, Eileen found herself researching in the library until curfew looking up aging potions.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Eileen was finding classes to be far more interesting and challenging for her Sixth year level of learning, especially in Potions class and DADA. Despite being her godfather, Severus was still a strict teacher and retained his neutral hatred of all students, albeit a much milder distaste than given to other students in class since she was fairly adept at following directions. She did not escape his strict ridicule, however, when any of her off-the-books experimentation went awry and caused any combination of awful stench, dreadful explosion, or discovery of a new man-made life form that attempted to flee the classroom. She made swift note of where she went wrong on those for later tinkering.

DADA classes got particularly difficult when Professor Moody decided to begin subjecting his students to dark curses in the name of education, something Eileen was pretty sure was against the rules. Moody's excuse for the acceptable torture was "you need to know what's coming at you", some things his students argued they would have rather not known but experienced either way. That day's lesson, in particular, had students experiencing the Imperius curse first-hand.

A small, very wary group of Sixth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs found themselves huddled against the walls watching their classmates thoroughly embarrass themselves as they were subjected to the curse, doing jigs and cartwheels around the room, some behaving as animals or reciting the Hogwarts anthem out loud.

Cheryl found herself tap dancing in front of her peers before being released. She played it up to ensure she wasn't completely humiliated, laughing as she returned to the group, "I didn't know I was such a good dancer!"

Eileen attempted to console her friend before being called forward to endure her turn of humiliation, tentatively stepping into the center of the room to face Professor Moody.

"Are you ready, Miss Pierce?" Moody watched her closely, looking a little too amused with the situation.

She nodded, bracing herself for the coming attack on her willpower. It hit her like a ton of bricks, bricks that felt like a warm wave consuming her into the depths of contentment. She suddenly found herself not caring nearly as much about what was going on in the class or having her defenses up. Some part of her wanted to just let go and enjoy it, but a far more stubborn and anxious side of her found the relief unnerving.

_Bark like a dog,_ a sure voice cooed to her. _Bark like a dog._

_No, I don't think I will, that's a rather foolish thing to do,_ her logic argued, slowly pulling up her walls to push the feeling back.

_Bark like a dog,_ she felt the words pressing down on her, as if trying to force her to give in to their will.

_Absolutely not! _"Get out of my head!" She thought out loud before realizing she was speaking. She blinked, hearing laughter coming from a distant source, focusing in on it to find Moody barking out a laugh at her rejection of his magic.

"You're an obstinate one! You'd make a good Auror someday, I think! Let's see how well you can hold up to it!" Moody gleefully growled as he hit her a few more times with the curse.

Each time she built her wall up more and more, feeling her determination rising and her desire to return the attacks building as well. It kept hitting her, feeling warm at first but slowly becoming fiercer, more like slaps to the face. They got harder and harder until finally they stopped. She realized only then that she had her wand drawn and pointed directly at him, a voice rolling from her body in a dark tone, "Say those words one more time and I'll make you regret it for a thousand years."

The room fell silent, save for a few gasps from the girls who had huddled back further in the classroom. Eileen couldn't break her gaze with the professor, finding her body had stopped reacting to her commands. Frightened, she tried to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth.

_What's happening to me?_

"Eileen?" A gentle hand rested on her shoulder and she felt the tension relax in her body, as if a door on a cage had opened and given her freedom back. She gasped, almost collapsing as the hand moved to support her.

She blinked away tears in her eyes and looked up to see Cheryl looking down at her, surprise and alarm on her face. "Cheryl..."

"Well then," Moody huffed, "Perhaps you can escort Miss Pierce to the hospital wing, she looks as though she's in need of some medical attention."

"Your nose..." Cheryl frowned with concern.

Eileen touched her face with a shaky hand, pulling back to see blood on her fingers. "Oh..."

"Let's get that looked at," Cheryl muttered. "Can you walk?"

Nodding but accepting assistance, Eileen left class with Cheryl to head to the hospital wing to ensure she wasn't having a brain aneurism or anything so severe.

"Honestly!" Pomfrey fretted after tending to Eileen's injuries, "You're not the first student to come here after Professor Moody's classes! He'll end the lot of you, he will!" She shuffled off after stopping the bleeding and ensuring she was of sound mind, leaving her with a glass of juice and a cookie for her troubles.

Eileen closed her eyes and laid still on the hospital bed, trying to sort out her thoughts but finding them oddly quiet.

Cheryl sat by the bed, watching her friend intently a few moments before speaking in a hushed tone, "What happened? Why did you try to attack Professor Moody?"

"I don't know...I wasn't...there," She replied distantly.

"What do you mean?" Cheryl frowned, reaching out to touch her hand. "Did you black out?"

"No, I remember...I mean...I saw it happen and heard it, it just wasn't...me," Eileen frowned a little too. "Does that make sense?"

Cheryl was quiet for a moment, thinking, "...I think so, yes. Like witnessing something happening and...not being able to do anything about it."

"Yeah..." Eileen let out a little moan. "My head hurts."

"Do you want me to let you sleep?" Cheryl started to stand and move away.

Quickly, Eileen took her hand and held on tightly, "No, I...please stay. I'm sorry, it feels better when you're here."

Hesitating, Cheryl sat back down, "Okay."

They sat in silence until they heard the ring of the school bell, signaling the end of class. It wasn't until Snape entered the room a while later that there was any movement in the room aside from Poppy's idle bustling about.

"Ei - Miss Pierce, what happened?" Snape corrected upon seeing Cheryl sitting on the other side of the bed, sidling up to Eileen's right.

"She didn't have a good day in class," Cheryl spoke up when Eileen didn't respond. "Professor Moody tried to use the Imperius curse on her and it didn't really work. I think it just made her angry."

"He did what?" Severus' voice with rife with fury.

"He said we needed to know what it felt like, so we could fight it, but," Cheryl looked over at Eileen with a sad expression. "She tried to fight back."

"Did she?" This seemed to intrigue him. "What did she do?"

"Pretty much threatened to end him if he didn't knock it off," She shrugged. "Gave off a pretty serious vibe too, what with her hair floating all over the place."

"Was it?" Eileen finally spoke up, still with her eyes closed.

"Miss Pierce," Snape continued to sound frustrated. "Did you really try to attack your professor?"

"I guess so?" She muttered, still not quite fully returned to herself.

"...you guess so," He didn't sound amused.

"I don't know, I don't think I was doing it."

"Then he did gain control of you?" Cheryl wondered out loud.

"No," Eileen sat up a little, or attempted to before holding her head again and moaning. "I think part of me did it, just not...me."

"You're not making sense," Snape frowned further, but didn't sound entirely disbelieving, which surprised Cheryl.

Eileen thought for a moment before saying softly, "You know how you get in bad situations, some part of you just takes over and you feel like your body just...knows what to do?"

"Like an auto-pilot," Cheryl chimed in.

"I...what?" Eileen and Severus both seemed confused.

"It's...it's a Muggle thing. They use airplanes to fly great distances, or automobiles to travel on land. Some planes and cars have the ability to 'auto-pilot', you can set it up to fly or drive for you and it manages it for you," Cheryl explained as simply as possible.

"Yes," Eileen blinked and looked over at her. "Like that. Something else took over. I felt like I was trapped inside myself, I couldn't stop it from happening."

This seemed to trouble Severus as he scowled at her in silence. Cheryl watched him curiously before he noticed and paced away from them, saying, "I'll have to have a talk with him later."

"No, it's...it's really not his fault - " Eileen began to protest quietly.

"It certainly is his fault!" Severus snapped back. "He shouldn't have been using FORBIDDEN curses in class! They're Forbidden for a reason!"

"I didn't let him in though!" She argued, looking worried. "You taught me not to let people in!"

He turned on her with a bark, "Then why did you lose control!"

"I...I don't know!" She shrank back on the bed.

"Hey now!" Cheryl jumped up, putting her hands up in defense. "If you're mad at anyone, go yell at Professor Moody for doing it, or Dumbledore for letting him!"

This seemed to give Snape an idea as he swiftly exited the room, leaving the girls shaken and confused. With a huff, Cheryl flopped back into the chair, "Sheesh! I do NOT know what you see in that man. He's horrible!"

Eileen hugged her legs to her chest, burying her face in her knees to stifle her frustration. "Why can't anything ever be easy for me!"

"Eileen...him losing his cool isn't your fault," Cheryl leaned on the bed, trying to look at her face. "Neither is half the stuff that happens to you, to be honest. You just...have really bad luck."

"So it would seem," Eileen mumbled before turning her head to look at Cheryl forlornly. "At least I have friends now."

"That's right! You have me!" She beamed. "And I guess the Wonder Twins, but mostly me!"

Eileen smiled a little. "Yeah...oh, the twins...I haven't talked to them in a while."

"What are they up to? They seem like they're plotting something super serious all the time," Cheryl made a face at the idea. "With those two it can't be good."

"Probably not," Eileen admitted. "It's weird that Fred hasn't been talking to me. He usually finds me."

"I'm sure he's just distracted," she patted her arm reassuringly.

Sighing, Eileen moved to slide off the bed, "Maybe we should head to dinner."

Just then, Fred and George came bursting into the room, hurrying over to her hospital bed with looks of bewilderment.

"Eileen!"

"Dove!"

"Are you okay?" The boys inquired in unison as they reached her bedside.

"Speak of the devil's offspring," Cheryl groaned, never being much for their troublesome presence. But she could see the relief on Eileen's face seeing them come in, so she refrained from further comment.

Fred leaned on the edge of the bed, looking her over anxiously, "Oye, what'd that looney git do to you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Eileen smiled at him, hoping he'd believe her.

"Bollocks," George replied, hands on his hips. "Everyone's talking about how you tried to murder ol' Mad Eye."

"Murder?" Eileen looked worried. "Oh no, I wasn't...I mean..."

"Yeah, you looked real serious about it," George continued. "Thought you were going to beat Snape to it."

Fred elbowed his brother before returning his attention to Eileen, "Are you sure you're alright?"

She sighed, nodding, "Yes yes, I'm fine, really. It just took a lot out of me. He's strong."

"He better be for a retired Auror," Cheryl whistled. "I didn't stand a chance against him, and he's battled the likes of the Death-Eaters!"

"I suppose that's a good thing," Eileen wasn't so sure it was after what she went through, she wasn't sure she liked the side of her that came out.

"Blimey, Dove," Fred took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm just glad he didn't hurt you. That man is crazy!"

She felt her cheeks flush a little at his touch, glancing at Cheryl who was smirking to herself. "Well yes, he certainly is. He wanted me to bark like a dog."

"Bastard, he should be the one barking!" George fussed. "You should have given him a taste of his own medicine."

"That's the dumbest thing she could do!" Cheryl retorted, standing with her hands on her hips as well. "If she didn't accidentally kill him, she'd probably get sent to Azkaban or something, or have her wand taken away! You don't mess around with curses!"

"I was just kidding, cool it, Cheryl," George griped.

"Oh would you both stop, you're making my headache come back," Eileen groaned, touching her forehead.

"You should get something to eat. Come on," Fred hopped off the bed, still holding her hand. "Let's get to dinner before it's all gone!"

Eileen followed his lead, glancing back at Cheryl who was shaking her head at George as the three headed out of the room, slowly tagging along behind them.

"Irresponsible twits," Cheryl muttered to herself, secretly glad that they at least came to check on Eileen. Though she wondered what really happened to her, and if it could happen again. She hoped not.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Sunday was a relief when it came, since it meant freedom from classes for the day. Eileen decided she needed to reinforce her Occlumency lessons, making her way to the dungeons to find her godfather. She knocked on the door, not wanting to incur his wrath for interrupting his studies.

"Professor?" She called timidly. She heard a shuffling sound on the other side of the door, along with several clicks and sparks, before the door cracked up to reveal a familiar surly mug peeking out at her.

"Oh, it's you," He grumbled before opening the door for her. "Come in."

She slithered through the doorway and shut the door behind her, leaning on the heavy oak with a sigh. "I'm sorry to bother you on your day off."

"I'm a teacher," He responded as he rounded his desk and resumed some paperwork. "I don't get days off during the school year."

She nodded but stayed standing by the door for a moment before taking a deep breath and stepping away from it, making a beeline for a chair by his desk and flopping in it. "I need your help again."

"With?" He looked up curiously, half paying attention as he scribbled notes on some scrolls in front of him. She caught the word "imbecile" before he rolled it up and moved on to the next sheet of paper.

"My Occlumency lessons, I think I need to practice a bit more," She sighed, leaning back in the chair like she was home.

"Because of what happened? I spoke to Dumbledore," He huffed, stabbing the paper and sending ink squirting across the text. He waved his wand to correct his mistake. "He said as long as no one was hurt, he allowed the lessons to continue."

"I wasn't hurt, something inside me reacted to it though. Something dark," She stared around the room at the various jars and tubes of strange substances and animal parts. "I was afraid of it, but it wouldn't let me go."

Severus stopped mid-scribble to look up at her. "And you're sure it wasn't him?"

"No, it didn't feel foreign, it felt like I've known it a long time," She looked down at her lap with a slight frown. "I think it was the part of me that kept losing control, the chaos I always felt when I felt threatened. It was just more...collected this time."

"Perhaps the Occlumency lessons have helped your instincts to sharpen," He mused. "It would make sense since you've been working on controlling your reactions to people and attacks."

"So now instead of losing control, I just turn into a heartless killing machine?" She looked unhappy. "I'm not sure which is better."

"What stopped you? If you couldn't stop yourself, then what did stop you?" Snape asked curiously, as if analyzing a puzzle.

She thought about it for a moment before coming to a conclusion, "Cheryl did."

"What did she do?"

"She just touched me," Eileen seemed as puzzled about it as Snape did. "I heard her call my name and felt her hand on my shoulder. That's all, it just let me go after that."

Setting his quill down, Snape steepled his fingers under her nose, his mind racing with ideas. Narrowing his eyes, he said thoughtfully, "Do you think she used a spell on you?"

"If she did I didn't feel anything," Eileen shrugged. "I don't really understand what happened either."

"Hmm," He puzzled a moment before resuming his writing. "She could just have a calming effect on you. I would try to keep her close in case this happens again."

"I can't really force her to follow me around everywhere," Eileen frowned at him.

"Then ask her to," He looked up as if it were a simple task. "Friends tend to travel together, you're in the same classes and the same House. You consider her a good friend, correct?"

"Well yes, I suppose so," She didn't want to mention that she may not want to be around if she was with Fred, nor would Fred want her around from what she gathered.

"Then until we can determine the cause and try to resolve it, we can continue with the Occlumency lessons," He seemed content with that decision. "If I could get you out of the Dark Arts class I would, but unfortunately it's required."

Eileen was quiet a moment before speaking up, "I would rather stay in the class."

He looked up, confused, "I know you can be a masochist sometimes but he's highly unprofessional and dangerous."

"So am I, at least for the dangerous part," She sat up more in the chair, "And so are the people who may some day come looking for me. I would rather know what they can do than be surprised when I face them."

Snape clearly wasn't happy about her decision but he understood her intentions, letting out a grumpy sigh, "You have a point. I still don't like what he does to you."

"I know," Eileen smiled ironically. "But I can do worse to him, I'm afraid."

Memories of the incident in the Slytherin dormitory flooded back to Snape as he fiddled with his quill anxiously. "Yes, you can."

She looked away, "What if I do the same to him that I did to you? Or Fred?"

"You won't," He didn't sound convinced by his own words.

She sighed, "I should get some fresh air. I've been inside too much..." She got up from the chair. "If we could schedule some further lessons I would appreciate it."

"Of course," Severus stood as she cross the room to go to the door. "Eileen?"

She turned back to look at him, happy he used her first name today, "Yes, Severus?"

"...be careful," He advised, doing his best to show concern.

"Of course," She smiled at him. "Thank you. Have a good rest of your day." With that she left his office and headed for the outdoors.

It was a crisp autumn day outdoors, the weather had cleared up from the beginning of term and there was now a nice breeze coming across the mountains. She shivered a little and pulled her scarf closer around herself before venturing across the grounds toward the lake, not really having a goal in mind.

She breathed in the clean air and thought about the times she was with her mother when her father wasn't around. She wished she was still around to see how far she had come, how she had so many new friends and a makeshift family of sorts. She also wished she still had her mother around to talk about boys, she honestly didn't know what to do with Fred and it frustrated her. She couldn't just read about it in a book or ask Severus because he knew less than she did about such things. Plus she didn't want the potential that Fred would be murdered in his sleep for touching her, so there was that.

Settling beside the water, she removed her shoes and dipped her toes in the cold water. It was chilly, but it felt nice to feel it lapping at her toes, wiggling into the ground beneath the water's edge. She turned her gaze to the skyline, watching the clouds slowly roll overhead, gray and miserable like most of the UK felt to her.

She tried to clear her mind, let her thoughts smooth out like the water's surface. As she sorted out her thoughts, she felt a presence inside her lurking in the darkness. She tried to approach it, but it shrank away from her.

_Who are you?_ She thought, trying to reach out to it. _Are you the one who locked me away?_

The dark blob-like figure shifted and zipped out of reach, disappearing into the dark hallways of her mind.

She tried to chase after it but lost sight of it. _I won't hurt you, I just want to know who you are, and why you..._ She thought about her wording. _No, you weren't trying to trap me, were you? You were trying to protect me..._

The shadow peeked around a corner ahead of her, still keeping its distance.

She sat down in her mind, watching it curiously, _That's what you were doing, wasn't it? I...I understand,_ She hung her head. _I don't believe I'm strong enough...that's why you're here._

It continued to watch her closely, staying at a distance. It slowly moved out of the corner and sat down, emulating her pose as if it were just her shadow.

_I would like to say I don't need you anymore, but I'm not sure if that's true,_ She smiled sadly. _At least he's gone, right? We don't have to be so scared anymore._

The shadow didn't move at first, then formed into a blobby shadow version of what she assumed was Alistair Moody.

_Professor Moody?_ She frowned. _You think he's a threat?_

The blob nodded then dissolved back to the androgynous shadow it was before.

_That makes sense, he is rather gruff,_ She agreed. _But he's a teacher, he wouldn't hurt me._

It then formed into a small, long object and bounced around the hallway before settling back into its sitting position.

_Oh yes, there is that, but he probably deserved it,_ Eileen figured it was referring to Draco's unfortunate ferret experience.

The shadow did not respond.

Sighing, Eileen hugged her knees for security. _He couldn't do that to us, we wouldn't let him._

The shadow seemed to agree as it floated toward her. Suddenly a cage formed around Eileen as the shadow settled beside it and stroked the bars.

_No! Please don't lock me away,_ Eileen begged, clinging to the bars. _I don't need to be protected anymore, I was wrong! I'm strong enough, really! Let me prove it!_

But the shadow wouldn't release her. It reached through the bars to stroke her cheek, thought she felt nothing.

_Please,_ Eileen tried to reach out to it, _I don't want to hurt any more of my friends. We don't have to always fight, we have friends now! We have Severus, Fred, George, Cheryl, Lucas...please, give me a chance. I can be strong now, just let me try!_

The shadow seemed to just stare at her for a while before the bars slowly dissipated and left them sitting in front of each other.

_Thank you,_ Eileen whispered with a smile. _I won't let us down._

The shadow disappeared, as did the pathways of her mind as Eileen came back to the lake. She felt herself fall back and slowly ease down to the dirt bank before her eyes focused on the sky above. She hadn't expected her subconscious to release her but it gave her hope that she could control that side of her with time. A shadow came over her and she looked up more to see an alarmed boy looking down at her.

"Eileen?" He asked timidly. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, Lucas," She tried to sit up but her body felt extremely heavy like she had run a thousand miles. "I can't move..."

"You were, um," Lucas tentatively knelt next to her. "You were floating, I wasn't sure if you were practicing something...weird..."

"Floating? Oh not again," She sighed. "Is my nose bleeding as well?"

Lucas looked worried and fretted a bit, "Yes, oh no! What happened? What were you doing? Oh, what should we do?"

She stared up at the sky forlornly, "I don't think I could move, could you run back to the castle and ask for Pomfrey?"

"Are you going to be okay out here alone?" He looked concerned, looking around. "What if someone from Slytherin finds you before we get back?"

She laughed a little, "I'd be more concerned for them if they tried to mess with me. It's okay, I'll be right here when you get back."

Lucas wasn't so sure about leaving her, mulling it over before pulling his coat off and draping it over her. "I'll be right back!"

He took off at a swift run and disappeared over the hill to the castle. It took him about 10 minutes to return with Madam Pomfrey in tow, along with Hagrid. The trio hurried over to Eileen who still had not moved from her spot, huddling around her to block the wind.

"Miss Pierce, my goodness, again?" Pomfrey fretted, going to work tending her. "Is it the same as before?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I fear I brought it on myself," She sighed as she was fussed over, trying to relax her body to relieve some of the dull ache.

"Did someone try to hurt you this time as well?" Pomfrey checked her pulse.

"Blimey, are ye in trouble? Who would hurt a little witch like ye?"" Hagrid looked concerned as he towered over her.

"No, well, not with anyone at school," She assured him. "It's more my problem, I'm sorry to worry you all. I'm trying my best..."

"Hush, now, you're in poor condition, dear," Pomfrey seemed satisfied and stood, motioning to Hagrid. "She should be fine to move, please bring her up to the hospital wing, Hagrid."

Obliging, Hagrid gingerly picked Eileen up and cradled her like a doll in his arms. "Yer as light as a feather, ye are!" He attempted some humor. "I could toss ye there."

"You will do no such thing!" Pomfrey scolded him. "Up to the castle now!"

"Yes, Madam," Hagrid said sheepishly, shuffling up the hill to enter the school, whispering to Eileen. "Was only meaning a bit o' fun..."

Eileen smiled at him gratefully, "I appreciate it."

The group trailed up and into the school to deposit Eileen in a hospital bed again for further healing, Lucas settling himself in the seat beside her bed and fretting as she was tended to.

Hagrid disappeared, presumably to return to his caretaker duties on the grounds. A few moments later, Professor Dumbledore appeared in the room, sweeping over to Pomfrey who was putting together a potion to administer to Eileen. They spoke in hushed voices before he stepped over to Eileen's bedside with his usual kind smile.

"Hello, Miss Pierce, how are you feeling?" Dumbledore inquired gently.

"I'm alright now," She raised her hand a little to flex it, still feeling achy but able to move a little with effort. "I imagine Hagrid told you?"

"You always were an intuitive one," He smiled. "I have been keeping up with your progress here and was concerned with recent events."

"You mean Dark Arts class."

"Yes, I was hoping that Alistair was not causing harm to our students but I have heard some concerning things," He sighed wistfully.

"I think I have determined what happened that day, Professor," She mused. "I thought on it for a while this afternoon."

"I see...which lead to the nose bleed?" He seemed almost amused.

She smiled at him, "Unfortunately yes, I think I delved too deeply into my subconscious that it fought back."

Dumbledore mused a moment before smiling at Lucas, "Luckily young Beowulf discovered you so you received needed care."

Lucas blushed, scratching his head, "She was kind of hard to miss, what with her floating a couple feet off the ground and all."

"Really? Do tell," Dumbledore cocked his head curiously.

"Oh, well, I don't know what else happened," He motioned. "I was walking across the courtyard when I saw something white flapping around. She was just hanging out there in mid-air like she was under water, it was weird. I thought she was practicing some sort of magic cause," he looked over at her curiously, "I could almost feel the magic radiating off her."

"Curious," Is all Dumbledore had to say as he, too, looked at Eileen, a twinkle in his eye.

Uncomfortable with their gazes, she fidgeted and looked away, "I wasn't really aware it was happening."

"I believe you, my dear," Dumbledore smiled kindly. "The question is: What really was happening to you?"

Eileen wasn't sure what he meant but before she could ask, he turned and spoke with Pomfrey again before heading toward the exit. Pausing, he turned back and said, "Oh, Miss Pierce, I would advise you rest for the remainder of the day and then come see me tomorrow before class if you are feeling better."

Surprised and a little worried, she nodded and watched him leave.

"What was that about? Do you think you're in trouble?" Lucas looked worried. "What did they mean about something that happened before?"

Sighing, Eileen closed her eyes, "It's a long story..." One she did not feel like discussing before a long, deserved nap.


End file.
